If you’ve never read an eBook before, the prospect can be a little daunting. You might think you have to shell out a couple hundred dollars for an eReader you can’t get wet, have to put batteries in, and can’t find books for.

Not so.

A dedicated eReader can be had for under $100, and you can choose from a number of models to meet your needs, but the truth is, you don’t need a special device at all to read an eBook. Any smart phone, tablet, iPod, iPad, netbook, or computer can be used to read eBooks. All you need is a piece of software that handles them. These may be pre-loaded on your device, or you can download them for free. I’ve used Kindle, Nook, Alkido, Laputa, and Calibre to read eBooks on devices from a desktop computer to an Android phone.

But April, why should I bother? you ask. Here’s a list of why eBooks may change the way you interact with the printed word:

eBooks are where the modern publishing industry is going to maintain a survivable profit margin.

Unless you want something off the bestseller list, they’re cheaper than paperbacks.

Almost all classic literature that’s public domain is now available in electronic format. There are thousands (or maybe millions) of books you can read without paying a dime.

A writer typically gets a much higher percentage of that cover price you pay on an e-book than they would on a paper version of the book.

You can get something to read in the middle of a blizzard without ever getting in a car to drive somewhere.

Those books will always be at your fingertips, no matter how many times you move, and you will never have to lift a seventy pound box of dead tree.

You can adjust the reading settings, including text size of any book, newspaper, or magazine to best suit your needs–great if you need large text or have trouble reading under certain conditions.

You can take notes and bookmark pages an eBook just like you would in a paper book, plus you can follow links from that book directly to supplemental material.

So download some software and test out an eBook for free. You’ll not only have current books ranging from bestsellers to releases from small publishers at your fingertips, you’ll have access to a ton of books that are no longer available any other way.